Samruddhi Mahamarg: 50-acre parcel at Amane to be used to develop international cricket stadium - 3 minutes read
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has floated tenders for leasing 50 acres of open land near Amane in Thane district which is at the western end of the 701 km Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, to develop an international cricket stadium and coaching academy.
An official from MSRDC confirmed that Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) had expressed interest in acquiring land parcels. However, due to regulations requiring land allocation through a tendering process, an open tender has been initiated. The official emphasised the necessity for potential bidders to meet stringent financial and expertise criteria outlined in the tender terms. The final approval from the board, chaired by the chief minister, will follow the submission of bids to the administration.
In contrast to Mumbai’s two cricket stadiums, Thane district, comprising six municipal corporations, lacks a comparable cricket coaching facility. The primary goal is to utilise this land for sports activities, considering its proximity to Mumbai, and to provide improved facilities for students in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including those from smaller Adivasi communities.
The Indian Express had earlier this year reported that MCA had plans to build two new grounds in Thane and Navi Mumbai. MCA had said that the new stadium will help players from Thane and New Mumbai who otherwise travel in crowded trains to South Mumbai for practice, matches or various age groups camps.
The MSRDC plans to lease its land for cricket activities for a duration of 99 years. Additionally, land pooling initiatives have been undertaken at Igatpuri in Nashik district, with a separate tender involving MSRDC as co-developer for 10-12 hectares of open land on both directions of Nashik district. The expected minimum investment for each wayside amenity site is Rs 50 crore, with a construction timeline of 60 months after signing of the agreement.
The Samruddhi Mahamarg project, a 701-km expressway connecting Nagpur to Mumbai via Thane district, is overseen by MSRDC. Presently, the final 101-km stretch connecting to Mumbai is under construction, with about 80 km stretch already completed. This segment encounters challenging terrain, including mountains and lakes, necessitating 16 viaducts and six tunnels. Additionally, MSRDC is widening the Mumbai-Nashik highway (NH 3) between Vadpe and Majiwada in Thane to eight lanes, with an aim to streamline traffic flow, especially from warehouses in Bhiwandi.
Once fully operational, Samruddhi Mahamarg is anticipated to halve the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai to eight hours from the current 16. The expressway opened in two phases: the Nagpur to Shirdi phase inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2022, and the Shirdi to Bharvir phase inaugurated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in May. The pending stretch between Bharvir in Igatpuri and Mumbai is yet to be completed.
Source: The Indian Express
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